With all the comments on our threads about defense I want to try one more time to connect a few data points.
Some people say Collins is a defensive genius and point to his time at Mississippi State.
Others will point to the total trashing of that same defense by Tech in the Orange Bowl.
Some will fire back that CGC was not on the sidelines for that game having left two weeks before the game.
Totally aside from the question of whether a defense should have a total meltdown because the architect is not present for one game, this now raises the question of whether the Collins defensive resume was overrated.
Here is what we currently know. The defense has declined each year with Collins on the sideline. If Collins is a defensive genius then it begs the question as to why he would stand by passively and watch his defense crumble into a pile of dust. He either wasn’t the defensive genius he built himself up to be or he can only handle a narrowly defined role on any football staff.
The data points suggest to me that CGC is not a good manager, does not know how to divide his time between different HC responsibilities, and may in fact do better when he is not responsible for a whole program. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt on this to be sure.
Questions about whether tweaking the staff and finding people to take over various responsibilities are interesting but they beg the question of what role would CGC be good in. I think CGC could be successful in a very defined and limited role but I have never in my lifetime heard of a head coach being relegated to such a role.
To be clear, his role would be to recruit, be a cheerleader and friend to the players, and continue to promote the ATL and media presence. Perhaps he could be a little more hands on with the defense too but that is now an open question.
I don’t see how we “get from here to there” with the current head coach but that may be a lack of imagination on my part.
